Alaska Commercial Company- Greg Dahl & Alaska Day Festival Committee to Speak at Sitka Chamber Luncheon

Weekly luncheons are held every Wednesday at noon. Enjoy great food, dynamic speakers, and exciting networking opportunities. Chamber luncheons are open to the public. Chamber members receive special member-only pricing.

Executive Lunch Sponsor
Alaska Seaplanes - Roundtrip SIT/JNU tickets for two for the winner and a hat/shirt for the runner up!

Upgrade to the Executive Lunch and receive VIP treatment including cookies and special prize drawings.

Speakers
Greg Dahl - Alaska Commercial Company 
Alaska Day Festival Committee 

Alaska Commercial Company

Alaska Commercial Company is a retail company which provides groceries and general merchandise in stores throughout Alaska. We have a compelling and authentic story with which few retailers in North America can compare. We are proud of our long tradition of providing food and general merchandise to rural Alaskans. Our history is interwoven with the history of Alaska. For the past 150 years Alaska Commercial Company has earned a special reputation in rural Alaska. We are Alaska’s trusted community store of choice, and the retail employer of choice in rural Alaska.

In 1776, Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, granted trading rights to the Russian American Trading Company and began exchanging goods and services for furs, gold and other items at trading posts throughout Alaska. When the United States bought Alaska from Russia in 1867, the company was sold to San Francisco merchants Lewis Gerstle and Louis Sloss and was renamed the Alaska Commercial Company. From 1868 to the Gold Rush Days of the early 1900s, Alaska Commercial Company was a provider of groceries and general merchandise for trappers, explorers and gold seekers.

In 1992, the company was purchased by The North West Company (NWC) from then owner The Commercial Enterprise Development Corporation of Alaska. This acquisition by NWC made the combined companies the largest North American rural retailers and one of the largest employers in the State of Alaska

Alaska Day Festival Committee 

Alaska Day Festival annually commemorates the Transfer of Russian claim of Alaska to the United States of America at Sitka on October 18, 1867, and celebrates the diversity of cultures and historical perspectives of our people. 

As Alaska Day Festival organizers focus on the annual commemoration of Alaska Day, we hope to inspire a deeper exploration into the cultures and history of the 1867 era.  We aim to stimulate the imaginations of our current generation, and to look beyond our own histories, and to better appreciate the experiences of others.

“Museums Preserving History” is the theme chosen for 2018 to recognize the important role of museums and other care takers of the stories and artifacts of historic events and many cultural traditions important in Sitka’s heritage.

Artwork for the 2018 commemorative button and merchandise was developed by collaboration of Tena Miller and Steve Dalquist and are available for sale at Harry Race Pharmacy & Photo, 106 Lincoln St., Sitka, 747-8006, or contact Linda Trierschield, 747-5466.

2018 Festival trustees are Ted Allio (chairman), Erin Arnold, Joan Berge, Helen Cunningham, Steve Dalquist (vice chairman), Jen Houx, Lisa Langenfeld, Marsha Lysons, Elaine Strelow (secretary), Linda Trierschield, and MaryLou Vilandre.  Carol Hitchcock serves as Treasurer.

Menu
Tuscan Lasagna, Salad, Bread